If you are considering earning a certification as a clinical medical assistant, you will want to know how the practice has changed and what you may expect in the coming years. With the high demand for medical assistants and the changes in the field, the job duties of CCMAs are expanding, so the best way to get your foot in the door is to familiarize yourself with these growing responsibilities and use them as leverage for job acquisition and security.
To best prepare yourself for a future as a certified clinical medical assistant, check out the online medical certifications available through Advanced eClinical Training. With our convenient self-paced online medical assistant certification program, you can become certified in as little as eight weeks. Do not put off your future as a CCMA any longer. Enroll today to have immediate access to resources and get start.
What Do Medical Assistants Do?
As a certified clinical medical assistant (CCMA), you are often the face that patients see most. The days of a CCMA are full of patient interactions from the moment the patient checks in to when they walk out the door. Since your position is so hands-on, it is vital that you have excellent customer service skills to put patients at ease.
The typical job responsibilities of a certified clinical medical assistant include:
- Scheduling appointments
- Preparing examination rooms for patient appointments
- Taking vital signs
- Maintaining accurate patient records
- Assisting the physician with medical procedures
Depending on the environment in which you work, you may not need to perform administrative duties like scheduling appointments and maintaining medical records. Smaller offices are more likely to require that you perform both clinical and administrative duties. Experience with all of these types of tasks can increase your qualifications when job searching.
How Medical Assistants Can Expand Their Scope of Care
While the above are some of the primary duties of a certified medical assistant, the responsibilities of the job are expanding. CCMAs are now being approved to perform more and more routine clinical procedures. Gaining experience with these new duties can help you get the CCMA position you desire and provide you with job security.
As the staff member that patients interact with most, clinical medical assistants are uniquely positioned to know the patients more closely and gain their trust. By leveraging this closer relationship, CCMAs can make a more significant impact on patient outcomes. Here are just a few of the ways that clinical medical assistants can expand their scope of care:
- Performing injections and procedures as allowed – Depending on the state in which you work, you may be permitted to perform injections and procedures such as EKGs and blood tests. When CCMAs are qualified to perform these procedures, they can help expand the services offered at the facility for optimal convenience.
- Serving as a medical scribe for providers – You follow the physician and document all patient interactions throughout the day, which takes the burden off the provider of having to spend hours each day on medical records. It is also a valuable experience if you plan to pursue a medical career beyond CCMA. You gain familiarity with medical terminology and get to witness firsthand the day in a physician’s life.
- Providing patient education and health coaching – Since you are more likely to develop a rapport with patients, you are in a prime position to help encourage them to follow their treatment plan. You can help inform and inspire patients to take medications, keep up with appointments, and incorporate healthy lifestyle changes into their lives. Physicians often do not have the face-to-face time with patients to develop this type of relationship, nor do they have the time to provide this type of coaching.
- Providing patient outreach – This involves contacting patients before appointments to prepare them with any necessary forms or information and reaching out to those who have missed an appointment or need to schedule a follow-up appointment.
To broaden your capacity as a CCMA, you must obtain the proper training to perform the above tasks. Earning these qualifications can make your role in your practice even more valuable. Many providers are looking for ways to streamline their practice, and having CCMAs on their team who can perform a wide range of duties is essential.
Advanced eClinical Training: Expediting Your Path to CCMA
More employers are giving preference to applicants with their CCMA certification. Although a high school diploma or GED may still be adequate in some facilities, earning your certification will offer you a higher chance of securing the CMA position you want. And with Advanced eClinical Training’s affordable self-paced online Certified Clinical Medical Assistant program, there is no excuse not to boost your resume. Enroll today to start learning.
